Depending on if the lyrics are better than this on the other songs, I think I might dig it in the right headspace. Not right now, but maybe sometime.
mildly curious about this because the sleeping with sirens song aaron is on is admittedly pretty sweet lol
I’ve never hated Kellin, and I even kind of like a few Sleeping with Sirens records (Madness and the two most recent), so I’m excited to check this out. Kellin named his daughter Copeland because he loves the band so much, so I imagine this was sort of a dream project for him to do.
Fun fact: the singer of a skylit drive has a hold nothing back chest rocker tattoo. Those high voiced lead singers love copeland
some more fun Copeland love: when i saw Paramore during their Writing the Future tour, they repeated the story of how Copeland gave them their first show as a band (when they didn't even have a name yet) and how excited they were at school that day to be opening for them, and every time they mentioned the band that night, Taylor and Aaron Gillespie would break into the opening guitar riff and drum part for When Paula Sparks. it was really fun. edit: should've mentioned Copeland was the opener on the tour, hot off of releasing Ixora.
Everything about that story makes me incredibly happy. When Paula Sparks was one of the first Copeland songs I learned to play on guitar
Copeland did a one off headliner in Phoenix on that tour that a group of friends and I went to, then when the show was over we all drove to San Diego overnight for the Paramore show the next day lol. Was a great time and to this day that show with them both is one of the best I’ve ever seen. I will never get over their performance of Future
I feel like the band has three super distinct musical eras, for lack of better term. BMT and IM are the most down and dirty, catchy, young, energetic and scene-adjacent. ESR and YAMS are the band stretching who they are musically, trying new sounds, more lush but still catchy. Then Ixora and Blushing are the most downbeat and least catchy, but the prettiest and most sweeping instrumentals. I like the second era, then first, then third
i think i need to just sit down and force myself to love their second and third phases. i was a douchey college bro when the second phase kicked off. lol. some may say that hasn’t changed, but i dissent!!!
honestly spend some extended time with each album you haven't heard in release order. that's how i first approached them, and it got me into each sound of theirs. ESR is obviously the album that bridges the gap between In Motion and YAMS, so it'll get you used to those lush elements more.
yeah, i think i limited myself to just listening to each prior album like a week or two at a time before Ixora came out, that way i could properly familiarize myself (by limit myself, i meant when i listened to Copeland, that's all i'd listen to of theirs - other music is cool too, haha)
okay so starting ESR i definitely have listened to this album before and enjoyed it. this will be fun. updates 2 come
putting on Blushing while working on my dissertation. damn, forgot how much of a headphones album this was.
After a couple listens of Haunted Mouths, I like it. Definitely feels like Copeland with Kellin singing for the most part, but he also uses his higher range a lot more sparingly which might make it more palatable to people who aren’t fans of SWS. A lot more restrained in a good way, probably my favorite thing Kellin has ever done. But also pretty aware that is probably largely due to Aaron.
another great Aaron-produced record - Intentions by Joshua Michael Robinson (aka JMR). i have a slight grudge against the artist after he essentially crowdfunded a new album that never materialized because he stopped making music under that moniker, but this previous album is very well-made, and Aaron has some guest vocals.
My favs are ESR and YAMS. I also love the first era but ESR and YAMS are masterpieces IMO. Ixora is great but just too sad for me to listen oftrn. Blushing didn’t really do much for me—all air and no substance to my ears.